


In Sickness and In Health

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-29
Updated: 2007-12-29
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15115538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: "Don't make me by mean to you.  You're really cute all curled up under that blanket."





	In Sickness and In Health

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: This coupling has completely stolen my focus for the past few weeks. I am having such fun with them.  


* * *

“You're going to get sick.” Toby grumbled. Ellie smiled, silencing his complaints with more kisses.

“I'm a doctor; a professional. I know what I'm doing.”

“C'mon Ellie, really, I don’t want you getting sick.” Toby gently put his hands on her shoulders. “Eleanor.”

His attempt at a firm tone made his companion giggle. She caressed his face. 

“Alright, don’t get flustered. Open up big guy.”

Toby did and Ellie put the thermometer in his mouth. She pulled it out when it beeped, examining the number.

“What's the damage?” he asked.

“100 even…that’s better.”

Toby Ziegler was sick. Last night he came to Ellie’s condo after work. When she opened the door, his appearance shocked her.

 

“Toby, Oh my God, are you alright?”

“What? Yeah sweetie, I'm fine.”

“No,” Ellie shook her head. “You are not fine. You're flushed and look like hell.”

“Thank you. I love you too.” He tried to smile but it came across wrong. It was almost like a grimace of pain.

“Toby c'mon…”

“Seriously Ellie, I'm…”

He stopped and just looked at her. Ellie raised an eyebrow.

“Toby?”

He swooned a bit, covering his mouth with his hand. Then he rushed past her and into the powder room. Little Ellie looked at him running and then at her mother.

“What's the matter with Toby, mommy?”

“He doesn’t feel well. Go on Ellie, finish coloring. I’ll check on him.”

Ellie made her way to the bathroom. It smelled sick and that made her take pause. Toby had not made it to the toilet the first time but now he clung to the bowl, limp like a washrag. 

“Oh Toby.” she stroked his hair.

He mumbled, coughing and retching into the bowl. Ellie gave him a glass of water. He refused it but she pushed it into his hand. He drank slowly, hoping it would stay down though knowing it wouldn’t.

“How long have you been sick?” she asked.

“A day or so I guess.” He whispered. “I don't know.”

“A day or so?” she pushed her annoyance to the side. Men were all the same in this situation. “Alright, let’s get up. You can't stay on the floor.”

“No, no, here is good for me right now.”

“No honey, its not. C’mon, I'm gonna help you.”

She flushed the toilet, took a deep breath to centralize her strength, and got him to his feet. Toby was weak; she practically dragged him down the hall to her bedroom. Ellie flipped on the lamp after dropping him on the bed. She took off his shoes, and reached up to undo his slacks. There was some vomit on them, his shirt and tie too. When he was down to his tee shirt and boxers, Ellie rolled him under the blanket. He made a groaning noise but said nothing else. Her next stop was the master bath. She grabbed the thermometer and the liquid Tylenol Flu from the medicine cabinet.

“Sit up just a bit.” Ellie struggled to prop the pillows under him. “Open your mouth.”

“What…”

“Open your mouth.” her voice was firm. She was in full doctor mode.

Toby obeyed because he didn’t have enough strength in him to argue. The thermometer beeped and Ellie looked at the number, 100.7.

“You have a fever. Are you experiencing chills?”

“Um, I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“Tell me your symptoms.” She said.

“I just want to curl up…”

“I know, but you have to tell me your symptoms.”

“I'm tired and achy. My throat hurts, I have a headache and I can't seem to keep anything down.”

“You’ve been like this for a day or so? It sounds like the bug going around. I'm going to give you some medicine; it’s going to knock you out.”

“No, I need to go to Brooklyn. You don’t have to nurse me. You do enough already. Little Ellie…”

“Don’t give me any of that. Stop it.” Ellie put her finger on his lips. “Just drink this.”

Again, he obeyed her. Ellie pulled two of the pillows from behind him. Toby wanted the mattress to swallow him whole. He was so tired and his head was swimming. Going to Brooklyn, yeah right. He didn’t even have the strength to go to the bathroom. Toby could not remember the last time he felt so awful.

“You will be out of it pretty soon. I have to give Ellie her bath but yell if you need anything.” She kissed his perspiring forehead. His sweat was a very good sign.

“Thank you Doctor.”

Ellie just smiled, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

 

“Do you think you can eat something?” Ellie asked, putting the tray on the bed.

He’d spent all of Friday in bed, in her bed. When he woke up in the morning Ellie informed him that she called him out of work for the day.

“Ellie, I need to…”

“You need to rest. I don't even feel comfortable leaving you here but I have to go to the hospital. I’ll swing by at lunchtime to feed you, I promise. Take these.” She gave him two Dayquil liquid caps.

Toby spent the majority of the day in various forms of sleep. He drank the water Ellie left for him on the nightstand, and even managed to make it to the bathroom and back twice without passing out. She did come home for lunch but he still had no appetite so she checked his temperature and gave him more water. She also rubbed him down in alcohol, an experience that might have been exciting any other time. Very, very exciting. That afternoon it just made Toby flush with embarrassment. 

Discovery Times was on the television all day but Toby could not remember watching anything. It was evening now, and Ellie was serving him dinner. He wasn’t really sure what time it was. Maybe close to seven, it was dusk in Tribeca. He looked at the bowl of broth, slice of wheat bread and cup of tea with little enthusiasm.

“I will do my very best.” He said, coughing. “Where is Ellie?”

“She finished dinner and is playing in her room. She wanted to come in and see you but I wanted to make sure you were feeling better first. Are you feeling any better?”

“A lot.”

“You don’t have to say that if it’s not true.”

“Its true.” He took a couple of spoonfuls of broth. It felt good going down but Toby didn’t want to think about it coming up.

“Well I will be the judge of that, Professor. We’ll get you up in the morning and into the shower. Then if you can stand for longer than 30 seconds, you might be on the other side of this. It really knocked some nurses out at the hospital. We’ve been seriously short staffed the past few days. Drink your tea even if you can't finish your broth. I don’t want you to get dehydrated.”

He nodded as she went around the room cleaning up.

“I took your suit to the cleaners this morning. I have to pick it up tomorrow. Luckily, you have sweats and some shirts here.”

“I need to check my email.” He said.

“No.”

“Ellie…” he was practically whining now.

“What Toby? You're sick and you need rest. I'm not going to let you overdo it. Don’t make me be mean to you. You're really cute all curled up under the blanket.”

“I never got a chance to thank you for last night.”

“I'm just glad you were here and not at home. No one should have to be sick alone. You wouldn’t have called me, I know you.”

I would have.” Toby said, not sure he would but hoping so.

“Try to eat a little more.”

“OK.”

Ellie left the room to check on her daughter. Toby ripped off a piece of bread, eating it slowly.

“Someone wanted to say goodnight before bedtime.”

“Hey kiddo.”

“Hey Toby!”

Ellie came bouncing into the room and stood by the bed.

“Mommy said you were sick.”

“A little bit, but I feel better today.”

“Are you going to keep staying with us?” she asked.

“Until he feels better.” Ellie replied, putting her hands on the little girl’s shoulders. She knew Ellie wanted to leap on Toby; he was her new favorite person. Well, Huck was her new favorite person but he wasn’t there.

“Is my staying here alright?” Toby asked.

“I like it. It’s like having a daddy again. Right mommy?”

She looked at Ellie but her mother didn’t quite know what to say. How could she even begin to respond to that? Toby had become a semi-regular fixture at the Tribeca condo. It was easy for him to get to Columbia from there; he spent at least 3 nights a week with them. Little Ellie wanted to kiss him goodnight but her mother said she couldn’t.

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“OK. Goodnight Toby.”

“Goodnight.”

She smiled, blew him a kiss, and left the room. He was alone for a while so he turned on the television. It had been a while since channel flipping had been part of his schedule. It wouldn’t be tonight either. Discovery Times played 48 Hours: Hard Evidence. That was always entertaining.

“What are you doing?”

Toby must have fallen asleep. As he opened his eyes, Ellie was taking the tray from the bed. He had eaten half of his dinner and drank all of the tea.

“Just relax; you dozed off. Don’t let me disturb you.”

“And I still can't check my email?”

“Ask me again and I am going to slap your hands. Tomorrow is Saturday…you can do everything you want to do then. If you feel better.”

It had been three weeks and he still hadn't heard from CJ. Everyday Toby checked his email but it was always in vain. Maybe he’d said too much; maybe she couldn’t handle it. no, she could always handle it. She was probably quite busy. The fact that she might be too busy for him really hurt. Toby relaxed against the pillows, trying to focus on the television. About an hour later, he woke again to find Ellie undressing.

“You're beautiful.” He murmured.

“Not tonight.”

“Every night.”

She threw a tee shirt over her head, going over to her chair with a mystery novel. Toby followed with his eyes.

“Why don’t you come to bed?” he asked.

“Get that off your mind Professor. You are not 100%; not even close.”

“I might be if…”

“If I drug you again.” Ellie replied laughing. “You should have some more Tylenol Flu before bed.”

“I think the worse of it is over.”

“Me too, and I'm glad of it. At least you didn’t have the twins this weekend. You will have a chance to get better before seeing them again.”

“Mmm.” Toby turned on his side because it made it easier to stare at her. He found that it was always a fascinating experience. Ellie concentrated on her book.

“El?”

“Yeah?”

“May I ask you something personal?”

“Sure.”

“Do you miss Vic a lot? We haven’t, you haven’t, talked about him much.”

She looked up at him, not at all expecting that kind of question. It was the second week of April…Toby and Ellie’s relationship was still moving quickly. They were both so busy living in the now that the past hardly came up. He certainly did not talk about Andi, though she was privy to some of their history. Toby really knew nothing of her marriage.

“I miss him, yeah. I lost someone who meant a lot to me and sometimes I don’t think I knew how much he meant until he wasn’t there anymore. We didn’t have that intense, passionate relationship you read about in books but it was still wonderful. I never felt with anyone what I felt with Vic. All I can do is be grateful for the time we had together. I'm grateful for Ellie though it bothers me that she will never know what an amazing man he was. It bothers me that I may not have another child.”

“You want another child?” Toby asked.

“Yeah, I still think about it. I don’t think it is something I want to do alone. I'm a workaholic and I know what its like to grow up and feel as if your parents don’t have time for you. I never want Ellie or any of her siblings to feel like that.”

“You are not alone.”

“Toby, you don’t have to say that.”

“Say what?”

“What you're saying. We haven’t even been together for six months.”

“You're afraid I'm going somewhere?” 

“I definitely don’t intend to saddle you with that kind of commitment.” She said. “You need to rest…I want to read a chapter or two before bed.”

He didn’t say anything else, turning on his back and closing his eyes. Ellie turned off the television; she went back to the pages of her book. Toby was not really asleep and she did not read a single word. It took fifteen minutes for Ellie to give up and crawl into bed with him. This time Toby didn’t complain about her catching whatever he had when she lay close. He ran his finger across her cheek.

“I didn’t meant to upset you.” He whispered.

“I know. I just…this is new to me.”

“What?”

“Feeling what I feel. I am falling so hard and fear breaking every bone in my body. I just don’t want to love you too much.”

“I don’t really know who to take that. It sounds like something I might have said once upon a time. I'm not going to hurt you. We've both loved and lost Ellie; I don’t want to lose you.”

“We shouldn’t talk about this.”

“Why not? Not every conversation we’ll have will be easy. Let’s have all the hard ones early.”

“You need to focus on getting better. The rest of it can wait until another day.” she said.

“Your excellent bedside manner will have me on my feet in no time.”

“Yeah.” Ellie nodded. “I'm going to drug you now; I want you to get a good night’s sleep.”

She got out of bed and poured some of the medicine into the cup. Toby never told her that he hated liquid medicine. He hated all medicine as well as being sick. Andi used to call him unbearable and the few times CJ played his nursemaid were colored by multiple threats on his life. He had been downright docile with Dr. Bartlet.

“Yuck.” He grimaced as he swallowed.

“Aw, poor honey.” She kissed the top of his head. “Let’s take your temperature once more.”

Toby nodded, opening his mouth. Ellie slid the thermometer in. She checked his pulse while waiting for it to beep.

“99.3, that is much better. If your appetite returns tomorrow you will be on the road to recovery.”

“Then I can get out of your hair.” Toby replied.

“Oh stop it. You're not leaving until you feel better.” She turned out the light and got into bed. “Ellie and I love having you.”

“I love the both of you too.”

She smiled, taking his hand. They lay in the quiet for a while, not sleeping but not speaking. Ellie kissed his open palm. Toby bit down on his lip to keep the words from spilling out. Ellie watched moon shadows dance across the ceiling.

“I've only ever loved four women.” Toby said. “You are included in that number Ellie. I am not one of those men who falls in and out of love.”

“You’ve fallen out of love before.”

“That’s the cycle of life. Never voluntarily though.”

“I love you Toby and you know that. I would have never said it if I didn’t.”

“I will give you your space. I understand what it’s like when everything happens quickly and you look up one day and it’s serious.”

Ellie turned on her side, still holding his hand.

“I don’t want space, I want you. I also want a little time.”

“I hope we have plenty of that. Goodnight Ellie.”

“Goodnight.” She kissed him softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too sweetheart.”

The drugs took effect and soon Toby was sound asleep. Ellie found it harder to sleep. They were getting closer; spending more time together. Their children were friendly and Ellie had been inside Toby’s Temple. Maybe space might be a good idea. 

Except that she didn’t even like the idea of a day going by without him. Was it even normal for a woman her age to have it this bad for a man? The thought had not been a half second out of her mind when Toby cuddled close to her. He put his head on her shoulder and his hand on her bare stomach, not breaking his sleep. 

Who did Ellie think she was kidding? She wanted him closer, not further away. If they both knew what they wanted then they should pursue it. They were old enough to be aware of themselves and their feelings. Oh my God, he said she wasn’t alone. He suggested that having a baby was a good idea. A baby with him? She was sure she heard him wrong. No, he said it…he kind of said it. He seemed to be right where he wanted to be. While Ellie could not pretend to be an expert in Toby-ology, she knew she had never seen him so comfortable in all the time she knew him. Comfortable with himself and his surroundings.

She fell asleep feeling better. The next time they talked about it, and there would be a next time, she would be able to express herself fully. It was safe with him. Even if she said something silly he wouldn’t laugh at her. Ellie also needed to get to the bottom of Toby Ziegler. He didn’t need to reveal every secret in his vault, she didn’t want everything. She just wanted to know him…needed to know him more than anything. He was right though, there was time. They would make good use of it.

***


End file.
